HNP Today occasionally provides recommendations of publications that are relevant to friars and partners-in-ministry. Two are suggested this month – one by a Franciscan friar and another by a St. Bonaventure University alumnus.
Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer (Crossroad 2014), by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, is recommended by Andrew Reitz, OFM, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Church in New York City. The book by the internationally-known speaker and member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Province offers readers the belief that “we have no real access to who we really are except in God,” said Andrew in a Sunday bulletin. The book’s description from the Center for Action and Contemplation in New Mexico, which Richard founded more than 40 years ago, says: “Only when we rest in God can we find the safety, the spaciousness, and the scary freedom to be who we are, all that we are, more than we are, and less than we are. Only when we live and see through God can ‘everything belong.’”
The Samaritan (Bancroft Press, 2011) by Stephen Besecker, a St. Bonaventure University alumnus, is recommended by Juliette’s Book Club of Olean/Allegany. Besecker, ‘81, discussed his New York Times bestseller at his alma mater on March 5. The novel by the marketing management graduate centers around the mystery behind a deadly conflict between old-world Mafia, modern-day drug traffickers and some of the nation’s most ruthless gangs on the streets of New York. Besecker’s style has been compared that of popular author Robert Ludlum. The Bonaventure graduate’s website describes the influence the friars had on him: “When dreams of a professional hockey career ended in his teens, the Franciscan community and his professors at St. Bonaventure University guided his passions toward philosophy, business marketing, and creative writing.”
The HNP Communications Office welcomes emails from readers who would like to suggest a book or periodical. Themes that are relevant to friars and partners-in-ministry — in addition to spirituality and news of the Catholic Church — include topics affiliated with Holy Name Province committees and directorates: evangelization, vocations, justice and peace, wellness, African-American and Hispanic ministries, and young adults. The last “Recommended Reading” was published Feb. 18.
— Compiled by Wendy Healy